Mid-Week Lenten Vespers, April 2, 2014
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Bethany Lutheran Worship, 7 PM Central Daylight Time
The Hymn #227 Come Holy Ghost 2. 72
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Hymn #227 Come Holy Ghost 2. 72
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Psalmody p. 128
The Lection The Passion History
The Sermon Hymn #249 Isaiah Mighty Seer 2.72
The Lection The Passion History
The Sermon Hymn #249 Isaiah Mighty Seer 2.72
The Sermon – Isaiah the Preacher
The Prayers
The Lord’s Prayer
The Collect for Grace p. 45
The Hymn # 660 Heaven is My Home 2:46
The Hymn # 660 Heaven is My Home 2:46
KJV Isaiah 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it wereour faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah the Preacher
KJV Isaiah 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
This preaching of the Atonement is found in the greatest of the major prophets, hidden in plain sight for centuries.
There are many Messianic passages throughout the Psalms, found in the major and minor prophets. They begin with Genesis 3:15.
Romans 10 uses this passage in reference to preaching. Report - something heard. Faith comes by hearing the report - the preached Word of God.
This was hidden in plain sight because it was in plain sight, in this major prophet, and often read, but not seen for what it was. And yet, because people knew the words themselves, it was was clear when they were fulfilled.
In the same way we hear words growing up from our parents, too many times to count, and we realize what they mean much later when they come true.
No one expected the Messiah to bear the sins of the world, to suffer and die in disgrace and abandonment, and yet to show Himself the true Savior by this death, to reveal this truth in His resurrection.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Verse two leads into verses 3-5 to give a picture of this great paradox - that He became our Savior and Messiah while becoming utterly disfigured and repulsive in the gore of the crucifixion. And it was not just the bloody torture, but also the rejection and abandonment - the cry of abandonment - Why have You abandoned Me?
Although the crucifixion was horrific, it was also life-giving and peace-giving, since it was all done for a purpose - to pay for our sins, to give us the peace of justification, and to heal us with the Gospel.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
This is another paradoxical section, a seeming contradiction. First of all, we are the weak, foolish sheep, prone to wander away from the Shepherd, and yet He is the sheep sacrificed for His flock. He is both Lamb of God and Shepherd, victim and High Priest.
As anyone can see, Jesus fulfilled this prophecy by not making a defense for Himself. He warned the Romans and the religious leaders about what they were doing, giving them a chance to repent, but He did not defend Himself and spoke only reluctantly.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
All this took place to atone for the sins of all people. Just one verse shows how perfectly the crucifixion and resurrection were predicted, centuries before the events took place. Jesus died with known criminals, and all three were buried. But Jesus was buried in a rich man's tomb, one never used before.
He was honored in His death because He had done no wrong. Thus we speak of the righteousness of Christ that we receive through faith. There can only be a righteousness of faith or a righteousness of works. If faith is denied, works are being taught - and they are always taught in the name of grace (as Rome does).
But grace is not grace when earned.
Thus we can only experience grace through faith, and this is delivered by Instruments or Means - the Word and Sacraments.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
This chapter is pure Gospel and used many times in the New Testament. This is a sermon about Jesus that creates and sustains faith. These verses comfort every sinner, because we all hear what Christ did for us, so the message - the report - would tell us forgiveness comes from Him, through God's grace, received in faith, not from our works, or some carefully crafted philosophical acrobatics lesson.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Jesus is exalted because of this atoning death. This is so clear that when I read it to children and ask who it is, they all say, "Jesus" without hesitation. How could it be anyone else?
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